Yankee's Song
by A. R. Chwa
Summary: A high school rock band in Sydney needs a song for a contest. But poor Michael isn't able to come up with words and seeks help from the American kid that's always in the computer room.
1. Chapter 1

YANKEE'S SONG – PART ONE

Michael Johnson was playing the keyboard in the school gym while his friends jammed with him on their instruments. He was a rather small teenage boy with a lot of bushy black hair and a dark complexion and wore a neat school uniform. The others were dressed exactly as he was, in white shirts with a striped necktie, navy trousers and black shoes. His best friend Peter was sitting behind him at the drum set, bobbing his head full of curly brown hair. In front of them stood the tall and dreamy Brad Hughes, who was singing a popular song in a silky voice while strumming an electric guitar. Brad's best mate Cole was harmonizing with him and keeping the pace with the bass.

_I come from a land down under…_

As they came to the end of the song, a gorgeous girl with long red hair came in. She wore the same uniform the others did, only with a navy skirt. Cole held up his hand so Michael and the others stopped playing and turned to her.

"Did you get it Matilda?" Cole asked.

"I got it," Matilda sighed. "Good news is, you got a good week to submit a tape to the contest."

Michael held his breath, as the way she said this implied that there was also bad news. He looked at Brad, who gave a sigh.

"And the bad news?" Brad asked.

"You have to submit an _original_ song," Matilda said.

Michael groaned as the other band members turned to him.

"You ever come up with anything, Mike?" Cole asked.

"Oh come on," Michael said. "I'm a composer, not a poet. None of my stuff has _words_."

The other band members whined again but Matilda tossed her long red hair and looked at Michael.

"A _poet_, you say?" she asked.

Michel looked over at her.

"Well songs are basically poetry set to music," he said. "But I don't write poetry."

"Oh I know that," Matilda smiled. "But the _Yankee_ does."

Michael raised his eyebrows as Brad scratched his head.

"Who?"

"You know," Cole said. "The American that's always in the computer room and hardly ever talks to anyone. We met him last year at the beach."

"I know who you mean," said Peter. "He dropped a load of letters in the hallway once…and they were all for people in New York."

"That's why we call him Yankee," Matilda said. "He's from New York…and I don't think anyone knows what his real name is."

Michael nodded, as he knew who they were talking about. He had seen the guy in the computer room before, but had never heard him speak even once.

"And…he writes poetry?" Michael asked.

"He writes _great_ poetry," Matilda said. "We met him when his papers blew away at the beach. One of them had a _beautiful_ poem on it…but he snatched it back before I could read the whole thing."

"Well the Yankee is super touchy when it comes to his writing," Peter said. "Looked over his shoulder in the computer room once…and he snapped my head off. Only time I ever heard him talk."

Brad nodded and turned to Michael.

"Think you can ask him for assistance in writing a song?"

"Well…I can ask him," Michael sighed. "But I'm not going to promise anything."

* * *

The next day, Michael found the young man his friends were talking about. He was rather tall and busily typing away in the computer room. While he wore the same uniform as the other students, he had kept his dark hair rather long and it had bleached streaks through it. A green bookbag was on the table next to him and a skateboard was propped up against his chair. Michael took a deep breath before walking over and clearing his throat.

"Hey," Michael said. "Can I uh…ask you about something?"

The Yankee gave him a strange look.

"What?"

"Well…our band is wanting to enter this contest," Michael said. "But rules say we need to write an original song."

The Yankee raised an eyebrow.

"I don't write songs," he said.

"I know," Michael said. "But you do write poems…right?"

The Yankee shifted in his chair but said nothing as Michael sat across from him.

"It's like this," Michael said. "I can write music fine…but I can't do squat with words. We were just hoping that…maybe I could put music…to one of your poems."

The Yankee gave him a look. It wasn't hostile, but wasn't exactly friendly either.

"Sorry," Yankee said. "But my poems are private. And the ones that aren't…are not written for you."

Michael sighed but Yankee simply hit another key on the computer before getting up and going to the printer.

"Well…that's okay," Michael sighed, getting up. "I uh…just thought I'd ask."

The Yankee gave him a slight glance before putting his papers in a folder and tucking the folder in the bag. He then grabbed his skateboard and left the room.

* * *

Michael found the rest of the band back in the gym with Matilda. While they were disappointed at the news, they weren't surprised by it either.

"Sorry," Michael said to the others. "Says the poems are private."

"But…he couldn't spare just one?" asked Peter. "Seems to me he's got a notebook that's _full_ of poems."

"He does?" Brad asked.

"Yeah," said Peter. "I sit next to him in study hall and he's got half a dozen notebooks that are different colors. Looked like the purple one had poems in it."

"Oh yeah," Cole said. "He carries those around in his bag. I saw him writing in the red one at lunch and asked what it was. He said that notebook was for mysteries."

"Which was quite true," said Matilda. "Seeing as he wouldn't let us see what the mystery _was_."

"But the purple one has the poems?" Brad asked.

"I think so," said Peter. "Only one that had stuff centered in the middle of the page. Pink one was sort of like that too…but when I took a closer look, I saw it was a script."

"A script?" Michael asked.

"Yeah," Peter said, giving a chuckle. "For the Galaxy Girl show. But then Yankee saw I was looking at his stuff and snapped at me again."

"Seems you're right about him being touchy," Michael said. "_Now_ what do we do?"

The others shrugged but Brad was rubbing his chin.

"The _purple_ notebook, you say?"

The next day, Michael was playing the piano in the music room, trying to see if he could come up with words for a song. But his mind was a complete blank and he shook his head. Then he looked up, as Brad came in with a broad grin on his face. Michael let out a gasp as Brad pulled out a purple notebook.

"How'd you get that?" Michael asked.

"Never mind how I got it," Brad said. "Just find something in here that you can use for a song."

"Brad!"

"Hush," Brad said. "Now get going."

Michael sighed and gathered up his things.

"Blast it," Michael muttered, leaving the school. "Yankee's bound to think _I _took his notebook. I was the one asking him about writing a song."

Michael was glad it was Friday at least. He raced home on his dirt bike through the streets of Sydney, praying that the Yankee wouldn't discover his notebook was missing. He went right to his room and sat down with the notebook and read through the poems. His eyes grew wider and wider, as the poems were excellent and well written. He found one in particular that he really liked and nodded.

"I can put music to this," he said. "I wonder…if I made a copy of it…"

Michael got out his own notebook and copied the words of a poem titled _To Lenni_. It talked about a girl who had been a great friend, and might have been more than a friend if the speaker hadn't moved away. Michael then sat at his keyboard and started reciting the poem as he tapped out a tune with the words.

"This is great," he said. "I could really work with this."

Michael spent most of the evening playing out the song, which he found particularly moving. He could picture the girls swooning to Brad's voice singing it, as if each one of them was Lenni. He then paused and looked back at the purple notebook.

"But…I saw that name somewhere else in here," he muttered.

He then turned to the beginning of the notebook, gave a grin, and nodded. Inside the front cover was a message.

_Friends are Forever_

_Love, _

_Lenni_

The next morning, Michael had planned to sleep in, as he'd been up late working on the song. But his mother woke him early. She told him someone was at the front door asking for him.

"Who?" Michael asked.

"Well it isn't one of your band friends," his mother said. "Some guy with a skateboard that says he knows you from school…and wants his notebook back."


	2. Chapter 2

YANKEE'S SONG – PART TWO

Michael fell out of bed as his mother frowned.

"Michael…"

"Okay," he said. "I'll uh…give it back to him. But it was _Brad_ that took it."

"You can explain it to _him_," his mother said.

Michael groaned and got dressed before going downstairs. He gave a start, as Yankee looked quite different outside of school. He wore a t-shirt with a plaid flannel shirt over it, army pants and boots. His hair was sticking out of an orange bandanna that was tied around his head and he had a diamond stud in one ear as well as several chains around his neck. But what frightened Michael the most was the cross look on his face.

"Sorry," Michael said meekly. "It was Brad that swiped it."

"Never mind who swiped it," Yankee hissed, pointing a finger at him. "I'll be taking it back…along with the copies you're making."

Michael sighed and handed him the notebook. He then opened his own and tore out the pages with the copies of the poem. Yankee raised an eyebrow when he looked at them.

"This one?" he asked.

"Yeah," Michael shrugged. "I uh…put music to it already. But even Brad knows we can't submit it to the contest without your permission. We'd get disqualified for plagiarism."

Yankee looked at the poem and then back at Michael.

"I want to hear it."

Michael gave a start.

"What?"

"The song," Yankee said. "I want to hear it."

Michael was rather startled by this request, but gave a shrug.

"Well…all right," he said. "Come on up."

Yankee nodded and followed Michael up to his room. It wasn't a very large one and most of the space was taken up by his keyboard.

"Sorry about the uh…mess," Michael said nervously.

"Oh you should see mine," Yankee said, shaking his head. "So let's hear it."

Michael nodded and sat at his keyboard as Yankee gave him one of the copies with the words on it. As Michael put it on the stand, he glanced over and noticed something.

"You wear your pen around your neck?"

Yankee raised an eyebrow as Michael just shrugged and looked at the pen, which was hanging from a long string around Yankee's neck. Above it was another pen, although a silver one on a matching chain.

"I like keeping my pen handy," Yankee said, crossing his arms. "Although it seems I should be wearing my _notebooks_ instead."

Michael swallowed hard and nodded.

"I'll uh…let _Brad_ know that,"

Yankee said nothing, so Michael just bit his lip and started playing. He was rather surprised as Yankee started bobbing his head to the song, his expression slowly changing to a rather sad smile. He smiled himself and kept playing, feeling a bit more comfortable.

_You brought me into the best friends that I ever had_

_And I had to leave you all behind._

_And there is not a day I don't regret what I didn't say_

_And tell you what was on my mind._

_I wanted to hold you close to me._

_I wanted to dance with you under the stars._

_I've never been so close to a friend before,_

_You were the first to steal my heart._

_But I didn't say it._

_I was too afraid._

_I didn't say it and now_

_Now it's too late._

Michael swallowed hard as he finished the song and glanced up at Yankee. He raised an eyebrow, as he could see a tear in his eye, although Yankee quickly wiped it away. He cleared his throat and then looked at Michael.

"Wow," he said. "You're really good."

"Thanks," Michael shrugged. "You are too."

Yankee gave a meek shrug and Michael took a deep breath.

"I mean…I know Brad shouldn't have taken your notebook," he said. "But do you think you could let us use it?"

Yankee gave him a look as Michael held out his hands.

"I can make any changes you want," he said. "It's just…this is a really great song…and we could win a record deal in New York City."

Yankee did a double-take.

"In New York?"

"Uh…yeah," Michael said. "With Smash Records. You heard of them?"

Yankee bit his lip and looked deep in thought. He looked across the room and Michael turned to see what he was staring at. But he saw nothing and looked back at Yankee, who took a deep breath.

"Fine," he said.

Michael raised his eyebrows.

"You mean it?"

"I may regret this…but yes," Yankee said, looking at him. "I have a few conditions though."

Michael nodded.

"You probably want writing credit," he said.

"Actually," Yankee said, narrowing his eyes, "I do _not_ want writing credit."

Michael was rather surprised by this and stared at him.

"You don't?"

"No," Yankee said. "You take full writing credit…and you change the title."

"Oh," Michael said. "To what?"

"Anything you want," Yankee said. "So long as it doesn't have that _name_ in it."

Michael remembered that Lenni's name had appeared elsewhere in the notebook and gave a nod. He wondered if this had something to do with Yankee not wanting writing credit and looked at him.

"I guess we can do that," Michael said. "Anything else?"

"Just one."

Michael raised his eyebrows as Yankee picked up his skateboard with one hand and pointed at him with the other.

"Tell that _friend_ of yours that he'll live longer if he leaves my notebooks alone."

Michael nodded as Yankee took the notebook and left, wiping his face again.

* * *

"He was _crying_?" Peter gasped.

"Yeah," Michael said. "But…good news is that we can use the song. He really liked it."

"Well you _are_ good with music," Cole said.

"Don't everyone thank me at once," Brad said, giving a sly grin.

The other three glared at him, but then they laughed and slapped him on the back.

"I guess we do owe it to you," Peter said. "But you had _better_ watch your back."

"Yeah," Michael said. "Yankee's not very happy with you…and might break your fingers."

"So long as we have a hit song," Brad said. "You're _sure_ he doesn't want writing credit?"

"What he said," Michael told him. "But uh…I might offer it to him again if we win."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Cole said. "We still have to make a tape."

Michael nodded as they gathered up their instruments from the gym. They had to move them to the music room, where Matilda was waiting with the recording equipment. Michael raised his eyebrows, as Yankee was with her. He said nothing but gave Brad a particularly nasty look before sitting down behind Matilda. She gave a shrug as the band set up and played the song. Michael noticed Yankee was looking misty eyed again and smiled to himself.

_You stood up for me when I was being a fool_

_You still cared for me, even when I broke all the rules_

_I never realized that friendship becomes love over time_

_My heart belongs to you. And I wish you were mine._

_But I didn't say it._

_I was too afraid._

_I didn't say it and now_

_Now it's too late._

Yankee gave a sigh as Matilda shut off the recorder. The band gathered around as she played it back and checked the quality. Michael was pleased with it and looked at Yankee, noticing that he had a bandanna in his hand to wipe his face with.

"You _sure_ you don't want writing credit?" he asked.

Yankee nodded as he got up and left the room, grabbing his skateboard on the way out. Peter raised his eyebrows and Brad scratched his head.

"What's eating him?" Brad asked.

"Well _hello_," Matilda said. "The song is _true. _He really does feel this way about some girl from New York."

"You sure she's from New York?" Cole asked, cocking his head.

"That's where he's from, isn't it?" she asked.

"Not really," Cole said. "He lived all over the place. New York was just where he lived before he came _here_."

Michael raised his eyebrows.

"He told you that?"

"Not directly," Cole said. "I got him in speech class…and we had to give oral reports last week. His was about growing up in the U.S. military."

Michael nodded and looked at Cole.

"Reckon that's why he never talks to anybody?" he asked.

"What I'm guessing," Cole said. "He listed over twelve different places that he's lived before."

Michael bit his lip and gave a sigh.

"But I'm with Matilda though," he said. "The song is _probably_ about a girl in New York."

"How come?" asked Brad.

Michael gave a sly grin.

"Because the prize trip to New York City…is why he changed his mind."

* * *

The radio contest was held several weekends later over one of the most popular radio stations in Sydney. The different songs were played and listeners were allowed to call in and vote for their favorite. Michael and his friends had been actively broadcasting around their school that their song _What I Didn't Say_ was in the running and needed votes. A whole group of them had gathered at the beach around the radio to hear it played.

"Next we have the group Diamond Jones," the radio announced. "And their song…_What I Didn't Say._"

The group cheered but quickly quieted again while the song played over the radio. Brad was crossing his fingers while Cole was gripping Matilda's hand. Peter poked Michael in the arm and nodded to the edge of the crowd.

"Looks like Yankee showed up too," he whispered.

"Well it's _his_ song," Michael whispered back.

_We were young. I didn't want to lose a friend._

_The risk was for too great to take a chance again._

_You're still dear to me, although I didn't dare_

_To tell you just how much I cared._

Yankee was standing quietly to one side, bobbing his head to the music. As soon as it finished, the other kids started clapping, but Yankee simply got on his skateboard and took off down the boardwalk.

"Number sixteen everyone!" Brad called out. "Make sure you vote for number sixteen!"

The next afternoon, Michael had joined the rest of the band at Matilda's house. Matilda had the radio going while her father was making corn at the barbecue. Cole turned it up when the DJ came on to announce the winner of the contest.

"In third place…winning Mix 93 t-shirts and season passes to the Sydney zoo…_Lonely Hearts _by Freefire!"

There was some applause as Michael bit his lip.

"In second place…winning a recording session and a city-wide single from Mix 93…_Happy Feeling_ by Sushi Brothers!"

The band members all looked at each other as they leaned closer to each other. Peter was gripping his curly hair as Cole was chewing his fingernails. Brad had a pained look on his face and Michael closed his eyes tight.

"And finally…in first place…winning a recording contract with Smash Records and a trip to New York City…"

There was a drumroll as the four of them looked at each other.

"_What I Didn't Say_ by Diamond Jones!"


	3. Chapter 3

YANKEE'S SONG – PART THREE

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of chaos. Michael and his friends had to sign papers and get permission slips from their parents so they could go to New York over the summer break in December. Then they had to report to the radio station for photographs and were invited to play their winning song live in several locations around the city. It was during these appearances that Michael noticed that the Yankee was always in the audience, usually in the back row. But he never stayed once the song was finished but would take off on his skateboard.

"Sure wish _he_ could get something out of all this," Michael sighed.

Some time later, Michael was packing for the trip when his mother brought him an envelope. Michael opened it and let out a gasp.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Looks like a royalty check," his mother said. "You wrote that song, didn't you?"

"Yeah but…"

"Michael," his mother said. "You _own_ that song…and they have to pay you for playing it."

Michael shook his head as he looked at the check. It was far more than he had ever owned in his life. And it wasn't rightfully his.

"Can…can I go to the library?" he asked.

"The library?" his mother asked. "What for?"

"I need to find someone," Michael said. "I'll be right back if he isn't there."

His mother gave him permission and Michael took off on his dirt bike. School had just let out for the summer, and he still didn't know the Yankee's real name, so it was simply a guess that he would be at the library.

"But it's a good guess," Michael said to himself. "He wouldn't use the computer room all the time if he had one at home."

Michael went to the public library and smiled to himself, as the familiar kid wearing a bandanna was typing away at one of the computers. He looked up when Michael came in and actually gave a smile.

"All set for New York?" he asked.

"Almost packed," Michael shrugged. "Any suggestions on what we should take along?"

"Warm clothes," Yankee said. "And boots. Sidewalks can _kill_ you if you don't have good boots."

"Oh right," Michael said. "It's winter there."

Yankee nodded as Michael sighed.

"Wish you could come with us," he said. "It's _your_ song."

Yankee gave him a look but then sighed.

"Kinda wish I could too," he said, crossing his arms. "Best friends I ever had are in New York. It'd be great to see them again."

Michael almost gave a laugh as Yankee peered at him.

"What?"

"You actually _had_ friends?" Michael asked. "You hardly ever talk to anyone here."

"And that shouldn't surprise you."

Michael looked at him as his face had gone sour.

"Last time I made friends, I had to move _again_," he frowned. "And that really defeats the purpose of making any to begin with."

Michael swallowed as he remembered what Cole had said. Yankee had only lived in New York for nine months.

"Sorry," Michael said.

Yankee gave a shrug.

"S'okay," he said. "Not like I haven't gotten used to it."

Michael peered at him.

"Maybe," he said. "But I'd venture a guess that was the first time you left a _girl_ behind."

Yankee shot him a deadly glare but Michael just shook his head.

"I'm not dumb, you know," he said. "Must be why you made us change the title…and don't want writing credit."

Yankee sighed and shook his head as Michael took out the envelope.

"But see…half of this really belongs to you."

Yankee raised an eyebrow as Michael showed him the check. He then let out a whistle.

"Good grief," he said. "That much?"

"Yes," Michael said. "And half of this is _yours_."

Yankee laughed and shook his head again.

"You just don't give up, do you?"

"I kind of have a conscience," Michael said. "And I can't take money that isn't rightfully mine."

Yankee sighed and looked away as he crossed his arms. Michael also sighed as he looked at the check. But then he got an idea.

"Is there uh…anyone in New York I can give it to?" he asked.

Yankee raised an eyebrow.

"In New York?"

"Yeah," Michael said. "If _you_ won't take it…maybe I can help one of your friends."

Yankee looked thoughtful for a minute and nodded.

"I'll tell you what," he said. "You split my share four ways."

Michael raised his eyebrows.

"Four ways?" he asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Give it to the VA, the men's homeless shelter, the youth center, and the community garden. I'll write it down."

Michael nodded as Yankee wrote the locations in a green notebook and tore out the page. Michael looked at it and nodded.

"Fort Greene?" he asked.

"It's a neighborhood in Brooklyn," Yankee said, giving a shrug. "I used to live there…and those places could use the money."

Michael gave a smile and cocked his head.

"Anything else?"

Yankee gave him a shrewd look.

"Well…you're not obligated," he said. "But if you go to The Party Animal store…and see that creepy kid that works the register…give him a good punch in the nose."

* * *

Michael wasn't sure if he would be able to comply with all of Yankee's requests, as the band was plenty busy when they arrived in New York. Jade Morgan and Sonia Ivy of Smash Records met them at the airport and had a busy schedule of recording, shooting, and posing for photographs. It was several days before they were allowed to relax at the Steadmore hotel. Peter was feeling feverish and Cole was trying to call Matilda, so Brad agreed to come with Michael while he explored the neighborhood.

"I need to find all these places in Fort Greene," he said, showing the list to Brad. "Yankee says they should get his share of the royalties."

"Did you tell him you got even _more_?" Brad asked.

"Didn't have time," Michael said. "But I'll just do the same with that one. Split it four ways between all these places…provided I can find them all."

"Well the VA shouldn't be hard," Brad said.

They found the Veteran's Administration, the homeless shelter, and the youth center. Then they started looking for the garden.

"Let's get something to eat first though," Brad said. "Garden won't have any vegetables left if we show up hungry."

"Well…there's a store over there," Michael said. "We can get some snacks…and maybe directions."

They went into the store and saw a young man behind the register, who was reading a detective novel. They grabbed some snacks and drinks as a girl came out of the back. Michael raised an eyebrow, as she was awfully cute, with her curly red hair pulled back in a pony-tail.

"I'm heading over to the garden to help Lenni," she said.

Michael raised the other eyebrow at the mention of the garden, as well as the name _Lenni_.

"Just be back by four, okay Gaby?" said the guy behind the counter. "I have a date tonight."

"With Tina?" the girl teased.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he grinned.

The girl was about to leave but Michael thought of something and turned to her.

"You going to the Fort Greene Community Garden?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Why?"

"We need to find it," Brad said.

Michael nodded, glad that Brad had also picked up on this. He also saw how Brad was looking at the girl and started wishing he had brought Cole along instead.

"Oh," she said. "Well how about you guys come with me once Alex rings you up?"

Alex gave her a look and rang up their food. Michael guessed that he didn't like the idea of her showing a couple of strange guys around the neighborhood. While he was glad he was glaring at Brad, rather than him, he didn't want to miss the chance to have such an attractive escort to their final location.

"Why you guys headed for the garden?" Alex asked.

"Friend of ours in Sydney sent a donation," Michael said.

"In Sydney, Australia?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Michael said. "That's where we're from."

Alex looked at Gaby, who gave a broad grin.

"This friend of yours wouldn't be _Rob Baker_, would it?" she asked.

Brad looked at Michael, who raised his eyebrows.

"Well…we don't actually know his real name," Michael said.

"You don't know his name?" Alex asked.

"Nope," Brad said. "Guy never talks to anyone."

"But he wears a bandanna and rides a skateboard," Michael said.

"And is always in the computer room at school," Brad added.

There was a pause before both Alex and Gaby started to laugh.

"That's Rob all right," Gaby giggled.

"Has to be," Alex said. "We even called him the _kid from the computer room_ when _we_ didn't know his name."

Brad and Michael looked at each other and then back at Alex.

"Blimey," Brad said. "We just call him _Yankee_."

"Yankee?" Alex asked.

"Well he's from New York," Brad said, giving a shrug.

"Not really," Alex said. "Rob lived all over. His dad was in the air force…and then retired and worked at the VA here in Brooklyn."

Michael's eyes grew wide as Brad snapped his fingers.

"Hey yeah," he said. "That must be why the VA was on the list."

"List?" Gaby asked.

"Well uh…Yankee came into a bit of money," Michael said carefully. "Wanted us to donate it for him since we were headed this way. Said it was for the VA, the men's homeless shelter, the youth center, and the garden."

Alex gave a nod.

"Well it's definitely Rob then," he said. "He had a friend that used to stay at that homeless shelter. Guy was a vet, so Rob's dad helped him find a place to live."

"He was friends with a homeless guy?" Michael asked.

"Yep," Gaby said. "And he met him at _the youth center_. Why he has all those places on the list."

"What about the garden though?" Brad asked.

"It's a place that grows _food_ for the homeless," Alex said. "Rob and Lenni got all of us to volunteer there."

"And I'm already late," Gaby said. "Come on."

Alex nodded and gave them their snacks and change. Gaby then led them out of the store and down the street.

"So you guys are Rob's friends?" Gaby asked. "How come you didn't bring him with you?"

"Well we kind of won a contest…and he wasn't entered with us," Michael said.

"And he's not exactly friends with _me_," Brad said.

"Which is your own fault," Michael said.

Gaby gave a sigh and peered at Brad.

"All right. What did you do?"

"I uh…kind of stole his purple notebook," Brad said.

Gaby let out a gasp.

"You took his _notebook_?"

Brad raised his eyebrows as Michael rolled his eyes.

"Yep," Michael told her. "And then he passes it to _me_…and Yankee shows up at my house and demands it back. Still not sure how he found out I had it…"

"Forget that," Brad said. "How'd he find out where you live?"

But Gaby just made a face and nodded.

"Oh trust me," she said. "Rob is _always_ going to know where his notebooks are. We're the ones who gave him those."

"You did?" Brad asked.

"Yeah," Gaby said. "I gave him the pink one…and Alex gave him the red one."

Michael's eyes lit up and he nodded.

"Didn't Cole say he was writing mysteries in the red one?" Michael asked.

"Yeah," Brad said. "Matilda said they couldn't see what the mystery _was_."

Gaby gave a laugh.

"Well _that's _appropriate," she said. "Alex is always reading mystery and detective novels, so of _course_ Rob would write mysteries in that one. Do you know what he writes in mine?"

"Erm…Peter said it was…a script?" Brad asked.

"Yeah," Michael said. "For the Galaxy Girl show."

Gaby let out a squeal of delight.

"That's my favorite show!" she cheered. "And Rob met the producer once. He said he needed new writers and let Rob have a copy of the script so he could work for him once he was older. Guess he's going to take him up on it."

She then peered at them.

"Why were you stealing the purple one though?" she asked.

"We uh…we needed a poem," Brad said. "And that one's full of poems."

"Oh," Gaby said. "I guess he put poems in there since Lenni writes songs. But what did you need a poem for?"

"Um…so _we_ could write a song," Brad said.

"Lenni writes songs?" Michael asked.

Gaby raised her eyebrows.

"Well yeah," she said. "She has a single with Smash Records and is working on her first album. It's taken a while since she's still in school."

"Well hey," Brad said. "We're here to record with Smash Records since we won that contest in Sydney."

"Oh wow!" Gaby said. "You definitely need to meet Lenni then."

Gaby brought them to a large empty lot, which had a greenhouse at one end. Michael figured the garden didn't have much growing outside in the wintertime, so he and Brad followed Gaby to the greenhouse. A small brunette came out of it, wearing a striped black hat and a fringe jacket.

"About time," she said. "Where've you been?"

"Sorry Lenni," Gaby said, speaking very quickly. "But you are _not_ going to believe this. These two guys were in the bodega and asked about the garden because a friend of theirs wants to donate money and it turns out that they're from Sydney Australia and the friend that they're talking about is _Rob_!"

Michael and Brad looked at each other, as they hadn't caught much of what Gaby had said. But Lenni had and turned to them with wide eyes.

"You guys know _Rob_?"

"Well…yeah," Michael said. "We go to school with him in Sydney."

"And we wouldn't be here without him," Brad said.

"Huh?" Lenni asked. "What do you mean?"

Michael elbowed Brad rather hard in the ribs.

"He helped us a bit with a contest we were entering," Michael said. "We got a record deal with Smash Records since we won."

Lenni let out a gasp.

"You're Diamond Jones?"

"Huh?" Gaby asked.

"That's our group," Brad said. "We got two more guys back at the hotel."

"And your friend had a donation he wanted to give to this garden," Michael said.

Lenni directed Michael to a blond British woman, who took the donation. She then turned to Brad and Michael and peered at them.

"If Rob helped you win this trip," she asked, "why didn't he come with you?"

"It's not like we didn't offer," Brad sighed. "But he's…weird."

"Oh I believe that," Gaby said.

"So do I," Lenni frowned. "But weird or not, what is Rob doing turning down a trip to New York? Doesn't he want to see us?"

Brad gave a shrug as Michael sighed.

"We uh…don't really know," he said. "But the trip to New York _is _the reason he was helping us out. He said the greatest friends he ever had were here…and he was really bummed that he couldn't come to see them."

"He told you that?" Brad asked.

"Yeah," Michael told him. "He also said the reason he never talks to anyone is because _last_ time he made friends, he wound up moving."

Brad nodded but Lenni let out a frustrated growl.

"Dang it, Rob!" she said, waving a hand. "Why can't you get it through that thick head of yours that you _need_ to have friends?"

Brad and Michael looked at her as Gaby patted her shoulder.

"You should send a letter back with these guys," she said.

"I wish I could just go with them myself," Lenni frowned. "Rob needs a good talking to."

Michael raised his eyebrows.

"Well uh…you're welcome to visit if you can arrange it," he said. "But we gotta go. Have to be at Smash Records early tomorrow."

Lenni looked over at them.

"Oh that's right," she said. "Jade said you'd be coming to watch."

"Watch?" Gaby asked.

"Yeah," Lenni said. "_My_ video has to be shot over the weekend since school isn't out yet. They're going to watch while we film it and shoot theirs on Monday."

"Well that's good," Gaby said. "That way they can meet Jamal and Hector too."

"And Tina," Lenni said. "She's helping the director."

"More of Yankee's friends?" Brad asked.

"Yankee?" Lenni asked.

"Yeah," Gaby told her. "Seems Rob picked up a nickname."

"Well if he had told us what his _real_ name was…," Michael said.

Lenni sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"Oh Rob," she said. "What is it with you?"

Brad shrugged and Lenni and Gaby went into the greenhouse. Michael however, was smiling to himself.

"What?" Brad asked him.

"Oh nothing much," Michael said. "I just have a feeling that Lenni's gonna get the answer to her question pretty soon."


	4. Chapter 4

YANKEE'S SONG – PART FOUR

The next day, Michael sat with his other friends while the watched the filming of Lenni's video. Her song was titled _The Love of Friends_ and Lenni sang with Gaby. Two guys were dancing behind them while another girl was running the camera for the director.

_After so many years that we've been together_

_It's hard to say goodbye and it's hard to say whether_

_We'll stick together forever, but we got to stay strong_

_Cuz time marches on and we're moving right along._

_But in years to come, if we remain far apart_

_I'll always carry parts of you deep within my heart_

_I feel you like, cuz you know, it's never gonna end_

_Cuz you know…Nothing's gonna stop the love of friends_

Michael and his friends bobbed their heads as Lenni sang the chorus of the song with Gaby.

_Nothing's gonna stop, nothing's gonna stop_

_Nothing's gonna stop the love of friends._

_It's gonna be all right, all right now_

_We'll always stay true._

_Nothing can come between us_

_I'm always here for you._

Michael rubbed his chin, peering at Lenni and wondering who she had in mind when she wrote this particular song. He watched her carefully as she rapped the next verse.

_We got the kind of thing that lasts the whole life through_

_It'll stand the test of time no matter what we do._

_Years may pass, we may go our separate ways_

_But when we meet again it'll be just like yesterday_

_When all my friends feel like they're here to stay_

_But now we're growing up from kids at play_

_We gotta live our own life in our own way._

Michael smiled to himself as the director called for a break. Lenni and the others sat down to get some water while a tall man touched up their makeup.

"It's going great," the other girl said to Lenni. "But I still think you should be filming this with Tuan."

"No way Tina," Lenni frowned. "It seems too much like a _love_ song when I sing it with him and it's supposed to be about _friends_."

"Tuan isn't a friend?" Gaby asked.

"Not really," Lenni said. "We went right from fighting like cats and dogs…to going out."

Michael did a double-take as Tina shook her head.

"But you're not going out now," Tina said.

"I know," Lenni told her. "But he still wants to be my _boyfriend_ rather than a just a good friend. And friends are what I really need to have around right now."

Michael bit his lip, wondering if his friend in Australia knew about this. He turned to the others, who gave a smile as Cole spoke up.

"Your buddy in Australia has the same problem," he said.

The Americans looked at him and Lenni raised her eyebrows.

"He does?" she asked.

"Yeah," Cole said. "My girlfriend Matilda says all her friends are _crazy_ about the Yankee."

"And she's right," Brad said. "They were all drooling over him when he first showed up. Hot new American guy with a cool accent."

"Accent?" Tina asked. "He doesn't have an accent."

"He does in Sydney," Cole said. "Everyone there talks like we do."

"I'm a little surprised the girls noticed his accent," Peter said. "He doesn't say all that much...and avoids girls like the plague."

"The poor guy just wants to be left alone," Michael said. "I mean, he doesn't even want to have _friends_, let alone a girlfriend."

Lenni gave an exasperated sigh and looked at one of the guys who had been dancing.

"See Jamal?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jamal sighed, crossing his arms. "Seems Rob picked up his old habits when he moved again."

"Well what's he supposed to do?"

Jamal turned to the younger boy who had been dancing in the video, who had a frown on his face.

"Rob is really frustrated," he said, speaking rather quickly. "He knows we would want him to make friends, but it really hurt him when he had to move away last time. And he _also_ knows that he's eventually going to move _again_ because he'll have to come back to America once he's eighteen. So why should he bother making friends if he's just going to up and leave?"

"Wow Hector," Jamal said. "He told you all that?"

"Yeah," Hector said. "I get a lot of letters like that. He sends them to me since he knows Lenni would lecture him about it."

Hector looked at Lenni, who gave a sigh.

"I guess…I probably would," she said. "But it's not good for him to be alone all the time."

She turned to Michael and he nodded.

"Well things are going to change once we get back," he said.

"You sure?" Peter asked.

"Yankee's not that bad of a guy," Michael said. "He just doesn't care for you or Brad since you keep trying to look at his writing."

Jamal let out a hearty laugh and they all looked at him.

"That _would_ hack him off," he said. "Rob didn't like _us_ for the same reason."

"He did?" Cole asked.

"Yeah," Jamal said. "Alex and I picked up a paper he dropped…and ol' Rob was _livid_ when he saw we had it."

"He was uh…mad at our _other_ friend too," Gaby said, giving Lenni a significant look.

"Oh yeah," Lenni said, returning it. "He was reading Rob's poetry behind his back."

Brad did a double-take.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Yeah," Peter asked. "And how is he still alive?"

Jamal, Gaby, Lenni, and Hector all looked at each other and bust up laughing. The Australians looked at each other and Cole scratched his head.

"What's so funny?"

"Um...kind of an inside joke," Gaby giggled. "You uh...probably wouldn't get it."

"About this...other friend of yours?" Brad asked.

"Yeah," Lenni said. "I mean...Rob _was _pretty mad at him. But they're still great friends. He writes to him more than anyone else."

The other Americans exchanged a significant look, although Jamal turned to Lenni.

"But even _he_ had trouble getting him to hang out with us," Jamal told her. "It was _you_ that did that."

"I guess," Lenni said. "And even I had to practically trick him into it."

Brad raised his eyebrows and looked at Cole, who peered at Lenni.

"You uh…got him to hang out with your…group?" Cole asked.

"Yeah…finally," Lenni said. "And Rob always said we were the greatest friends he ever had."

Brad and Cole looked at each other and back at Lenni.

"So…_you_ brought him into…the greatest friends he ever had?" Brad asked.

"Well yeah," Lenni said. "Why?"

Brad and Cole looked at Peter, who gave a nod and looked at Michael.

"You guys haven't heard our song yet, have you?" Michael asked.

"No," Lenni said. "I heard _about_ your song…but not the actual song."

The Australians looked at each other and Michael nodded.

"You need to hear it."

* * *

The next day, Diamond Jones was wrapping up their music video when Lenni came to the studio with the same friends who had helped with her video and also Alex. They stood back as they danced to the music and lip synching.

_You were my greatest friend back when I was young_

_You were someone I knew that I could count on_

_Running side by side when I was with you_

_There was something more between me and you_

_You stood up for me when I was being a fool_

_You still cared for me, even when I broke all the rules_

_I never realized that friendship becomes love over time_

_My heart belongs to you. And I wish you were mine._

_You brought me into the best friends that I ever had_

_And I had to leave you all behind._

_And there is not a day I don't regret what I didn't say_

_And tell you what was on my mind._

_I wanted to hold you close to me._

_I wanted to dance with you under the stars._

_I've never been so close to a friend before,_

_You were the first to ever steal my heart._

_But I didn't say it._

_I was too afraid._

_I didn't say it and now_

_Now it's too late._

The director called for a cut and the group changed positions for the next verse. Michael looked over at Lenni, who had eyes as wide as dinner plates. Her other friends were smiling and whispering to each other and Michael caught Jamal's attention for a minute. Jamal crossed his arms and gave a nod as Michael sighed and stood on his mark.

"All right," the director called. "Second verse…and…action."

_Please forgive me. I didn't know it would happen._

_I'm so sorry. I was afraid to be in love._

_I was scared. And I was only twelve years old._

_I was young and didn't want my love to show._

_How I long for the days when I was at your side._

_How I treasure the memory of when we were together._

_I still hear your laughter ringing in my ears._

_And wish that it had lasted forever._

_But fate has never been kind to me_

_And I was taken away from you far too soon._

_I stand alone now and look up at the sky_

_Where the southern cross hangs beside the moon._

_But I didn't say it._

_I was too afraid._

_I didn't say it and now_

_Now it's too late._

As the shoot continued, Michael tried hard not to be distracted. He finally saw Lenni get up and go out, hiding her face as Jamal followed her. The others sighed and watched as Michael and the others finished up and the director nodded.

"Cut," he said. "That's a wrap."

"Awesome," Cole said.

"Wait'll the guys back home see _us_ on T.V.," Peter grinned.

"Forget that," Brad said smugly. "Wait'll the _girls_ see us on T.V."

"Is Lenni okay?" Michael asked.

The Americans looked at Michael and Gaby gave a sigh.

"You might want to check," she said. "She went to Jade's office."

Michael nodded and went to the office. Lenni had her arms crossed and Jamal had a hand on her shoulder. The producer was sitting behind the desk and peered at Michael.

"Ah," Jade said. "We were just talking about you."

"Erm…yeah," Michael said. "We uh…just wrapped."

"Good," Jade said. "Now then…it says here that _you_ wrote this song _yourself_."

Michael nodded.

"Yes ma'am," he said. "But um…I actually got the words from someone else…and he asked me not to give him credit."

Jade frowned.

"Michael," she said. "We cannot release this without giving credit to the writer."

"I know," Michael said. "And I told him that _dozens_ of times. But he wouldn't even take his half of the royalties…and I had to donate it."

Lenni looked up at him.

"Wait," she said. "Those were royalties?"

"Yes," Michael said. "I mean…I really _tried_ to give him credit. But the dang guy wouldn't tell me his _name_."

Jade looked at Lenni, who narrowed her eyes as Jamal nodded.

"Well we know his name _now_," Jamal said.

"That's right," Lenni nodded. "And he's going down as a co-writer whether he likes it or not."

"Excellent," Jade said, making a note of this. "Of course…you're sure the fellow you told me about is the one who wrote the words?"

Lenni looked at Michael, who nodded.

"If it's that old friend of hers that writes poetry in a purple notebook…then yes," Michael said.

Jamal gave a nod as Lenni shook her head.

"Rob Baker," she said. "You are _impossible_."

Jamal patted her shoulder as Jade folded her hands.

"Well Michael," she said. "This friend of yours is very talented…as are you. I would like the two of you to do more songs for Diamond Jones that we can make into an album."

"Oh!" Michael said. "Well…the other guys would _love_ that. But um…I don't know if the Yankee would do it again."

Michael looked at Lenni, who gave a sly smile.

"Oh don't worry about that," she said. "I know how to get him to do it."


	5. Chapter 5

YANKEE'S SONG – PART FIVE

The day after Michael flew home to Sydney, he went to the address Lenni had given him and rather timidly knocked on the door. A man in a suit answered the door.

"Um…hi," Michael said nervously. "I'm here to see Rob."

"Finally made a friend, did he?" the man said.

"In a way," Michael said. "I'm Mike Johnson."

The man nodded and let Michael in. He led him to a bedroom on the second floor and knocked.

"Rob?" he asked. "Friend of yours is here."

"What? Who?"

"It's Mike," Michael said. "You want to hear about New York or what?"

Michael smiled as the boy opened the door, a rather bemused look on his face. He was only wearing shorts and had clearly just gotten out of bed.

"Come on in," he said.

Michael came in and looked around. The room was rather cramped with bookshelves and a large desk, which had five notebooks spread out on it.

"Wow," he said. "Your room _is_ worse than mine."

"Oh very funny," Rob said, flopping down on the bed. "How was the trip?"

"Exhausting," Michael said, sitting in a chair. "Never knew the music business was so much work."

Rob smiled as Michael told him about recording the song, filming the video, and making the donations on his behalf.

"Cole and Peter found that party store you were talking about," Mike said. "The guy behind the counter was making fun of Peter's accent."

"Did he give him a punch in the nose?" Rob asked.

"No," Mike said. "But uh…they did _accidentally_ knock a bunch of stuff off the shelf. The guy wanted to make them clean it up, but his mother came in and made him do it."

Rob gave a hearty laugh.

"Serves you right, Booger-bat," he said. "You guys meet anyone else?"

"Brad and I got directions to that garden from this Spanish grocery," he said. "This guy and a girl were there. I think they were brother and sister."

Rob sighed and nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "Alex and his sister Gaby were great friends of mine. They must be the ones that told you my name."

"They did," Michael said. "Found it hilarious that we'd call you _Yankee_. Alex said they called you the _kid from the computer room_."

Rob gave a hearty laugh.

"He sure did," he said. "I almost had a fistfight with him in the cafeteria too."

"Did he swipe a notebook?" Michael asked.

"No," Rob said, shaking a finger. "But you're not far off. He had a page from a story I was working on…and thought it was a confession."

Michael nodded as Rob picked up a red notebook that was on his desk.

"Great guy…Alex," he said. "They helped you find the garden?"

"Gaby did," Michael said. "She um…introduced us to Lenni."

Rob let out a long sigh as Michael swallowed hard.

"It uh…seems she's also under Smash Records," he said.

Rob gave a nod.

"Yeah," he said. "She writes great music…and never needed help with words."

"Right," Michael said. "Um…about that…"

Rob peered at him as he took a deep breath.

"They want us to do a whole album."

Rob's eyes grew wide.

"An _album_?"

"Yep," Michael said. "But uh…I had to fess up to the producer that I did _not_ write this song by myself."

Rob shook his head as Michael held up his hands.

"Look," he said. "It's _your_ call. And they sent someone down here to talk to you about signing on as a lyricist."

Rob did a double-take.

"Do what?"

"They want you to do song lyrics for us…and sent someone back with us to meet you," Michael said, looking at his watch. "Should be coming over in a few minutes."

Rob looked at him for a minute before swallowing hard.

"Who exactly are they sending?"

"Take a wild guess," Mike said, giving a nod. "You might want to get dressed."

Rob rather tentatively got up and grabbed some clothes from the closet. The two of them went downstairs just as there was a knock on the door. Rob looked at Michael, who gave him a push.

"It's _your_ house, Mate," he said.

Rob sighed and opened the door, stepping back at the sight of the lovely brunette wearing a funky hat and colorful dress. She gave a bright smile and cocked her head.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Lenni Frazier from Smash Records. Are you Robert 'Yankee' Baker?"

"Um…I am…as a matter of fact," he said. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you," she said, strolling in.

Rob shook his head and closed the door as Lenni spun around.

"I'll get right to the point," she said. "That song you wrote…and we _do_ know you wrote it…is absolutely one of the _best_ we have ever heard."

"I only did the words," Rob said meekly.

"Yes yes," Lenni said, walking over to him. "But see…we would _really_ like you and Mr. Johnson here to do more. Boy bands are so _totally_ hot right now…and so are groups from _Australia_. The break out single by Diamond Jones is _already_ in the top ten and Smash Records has _got_ to have a full album."

Michael tried hard not to laugh as Lenni drew closer to Rob, who was growing rather red. She played with the pen around his neck as she looked up at him.

"Please Rob?" she asked.

"Lenni…"

"Rob," she said. "They _need_ you…just like the team did. And you need them just as much."

Rob sighed as she took his hand.

"Rob…I know you miss the team," she said softly. "We miss you too. But you have to keep going…and make friends again."

Rob almost laughed as he shook his head.

"You just won't give up on me, will you?"

"Of course not," Lenni said, giving a flirtatious smile. "And I'm willing to make it _well_ worth your while if you sign on with the band."

Rob gave her a look.

"Are you _seducing_ me?"

"Oh like _you_ can talk," she said, peering at him. "Seems there was quite a bit you _didn't say_ before."

Rob let out a groan but Lenni just gave a sigh and stroked his face and whispered to him.

"It isn't too late, Rob," she whispered.

Rob looked at her and swallowed hard.

"It…it isn't?"

"Not yet," she said. "But it might be if you don't give me an answer."

Rob gave a deep sigh.

"All right," he said. "I'll…write songs with Mike."

Michael smiled as he heard this but didn't say anything. He was pretty sure Rob and Lenni had forgotten that he was in the room. He quietly made his way to the kitchen as Rob and Lenni gazed at each other.

* * *

A few months later, Michael was heading to the bank with Rob, each of them with a large royalty check to deposit.

"What do you think of the second album idea?" Michael asked.

"I dunno," Rob said.

"But the first one was a huge hit," Michael said.

"I know," Rob said. "But…I've just about got enough to move back to New York. And my brother's willing to stay with me."

"So send me your poetry in the mail."

"Could you still work with it?"

"Well _Lenni's_ done pretty well with the poetry you sent to _her_," Michael said. "That last one was _huge_."

"It wasn't as big as _ours_ though," Rob said.

"I know. Brad was thinking Lenni would be all bitter about it."

"He doesn't know Lenni like I do," Rob smiled. "She takes credit for _discovering _Diamond Jones…and also _John Yankee_ the songwriter."

"That's true," Michael nodded. "And her songs might be bigger than ours once you're writing with her in person."

Rob gave a shrug as Michael gave a grin.

"Although…you two might wind up making out every time you try to write something."

"Hey!"

Michael laughed as Rob chased him the rest of the way to the bank.


End file.
